The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
